P40L-P49Y

Aruba

 

Station News

House Improvements

April 2022. Returning to Aruba for WPX SSB, John stays for several weeks and accomplishes an amazing amount of home improvements and deferred maintenance, including a new living room a/c (the modern heat-exchanger kind with a remote control), new washing maching, new second operating table, new shelving and organization for our extra tower and antenna stockpile. Meanwhile, Cris repaints the house and supervises raising the wall to keep out the neighbor dogs, while JP starts work on an elevated guy anchor on the north side of the property, and repairs the driveway and back gates. Whew!

March 2023. John continues his maintenance efforts, including a new, modern a/c in the shack, new sheets, bedcovers and duvets. He has the notion that the second bedroom should look more like a bedroom and less like a mad scientist's laboratory! He also experiments with various antenna ideas, including a new EU beverage, and using a vertical all the way on the other side of the cunucu.

Grounded by Covid

2020-21. Shortly after finishing the antenna rebuild, the planet was hit by COVID-19. Travel to Aruba was nearly impossible, though Andy did manage CQWW SSB in October. We are easing back into it in 2021, thanks to vaccinations. Andy did CQWPX CW, but decided that postponing a planned family Thanksgiving trip (that would include CQWW DX CW, of course) was the better part of valor. John, W2GD, has been filling in due to less risky travel from the East Coast.

New Towers, Antennas (Part 2)

2020. We returned in Feb. 2020 to complete the tower and antenna refit. Now we have all new towers and antennas! An abridged story with many pictures is in the NCCC JUG, May 2020. Link to JUG. Full Story.

New Towers, Antennas (Part 1)

2019. Our second major overhaul, even more exhaustive (and exhausting than in 2008). New towers and a shift from F12 to JK antennas. An abridged story with many pictures is in the NCCC JUG, Jan. 2020. Link to JUG. Full Story

New Paint, Furniture

2017. Time for new couches and drapes, and removal of old carpet. The place has a spiffy, new look. Also, Cris repaints the house every few years; this time she chose a terrific magenta trim color. Much more interesing than the usual green or blue. View from Outside. View from Inside

Hot Water Heater

2016. Houses on Aruba traditionally don't have water heaters, which can make for tepid showers. That was our style for the last 13 years, but thanks to a major effort by JP, we now have an on-demand water heater in the shower -- hoo boy!

Cottage Refurbishment

2011. Chris and JP give the cottage a major freshening and overhaul. New drapes, some carpets, paint, lighting fixtures, front door, and a new ceiling in the living room and the porch (a neat plastic interlocking Dutch product). The place looks great and the former slightly musty odor is gone.

Revised 160m Antenna

March 2010. John (W6LD) and Ed (W0YK) move the 160m C-Dipole out from the back tower and run the ends into the cunucu (the public open space behind the cottage), instead of to the pole out front. Seems to work much better.

New Beverage Antennas

2008. Using Google Earth, Denny (KX7M) and John lay out 4 500-foot-long "beverage" antennas in the cunucu from a common feedpoint 800 feet from the house. Using a K9AY switchbox, these work great!

New Towers, Antennas

Feb. 2008. In a week-long effort, John, Andy, Ed (W0YK), Tom Schiller (N6BT) and Jean-Pierre (P43A) replace all towers and antennas, and raise two of the towers. Whew!

 

 

This is the home page for the Aruba QTH of P49Y and P40L. P49Y is Andy, AE6Y, while P40L is John, W6LD. Our Aruba QTH was originally established by Carl, AI6V, P49V, and has been rebuilt since 2003 as a fully operational contest station (occasionally available for rental by licensed amateurs).

Over the years this has been an award-winning site for many major radio contests. Please browse the site and let us know if you have any comments or suggestions to make it more helpful. (Thanks to KK9A for the house picture.)